How difficult have these two weeks been? Has it been chaotic?
A bit chaotic, absolutely a bit chaotic but we have big shoulders to consider this type of situation. We had an international break and that help because we have time to think about everything. The club and every one of us have to take a decision and the decision was taken for the best of everyone.
Is the club in crisis?
No, it's not a club in crisis, absolutely not because everyone take the decision for the best and when you take the decision and you follow the process, you are not in crisis. If you have some matters, we have to be compact and stick together and go ahead and continue to move on and play the match. For us it is important to play the matches and try to win matches to show our desire. This is what we do normally and we cannot not be aware of the decision the club take, but we can be focused only on the pitch. This is our job. We are not confused, we are focused on our job.
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How is Antonio, how does he feel about you taking the job?
I want to clarify that this decision was taken for the best of the club and from everyone, so the decision was taken from everyone. Antonio is good, so everyone take the decision all together for best of the club and my relationship with Antonio is still the same and is very close. Nothing change between me and him. I have to say thanks to him also because I improve a lot in my career like until now and why I improve is because of Antonio. Antonio for me is important and I do the best for him until now. And I do the best for him from now until the end of the season.
Was it a lot to consider?
It is an important job. I feel responsible and I take the responsibility but I have to say that I am ready to do it and I feel that I can do it. I was here before and we have to follow the process and the job we did in the past.
What's the latest on injuries? Will Lloris start on Monday?
Hugo Lloris has been training since last week so he is training also this week with the team. Obviously we didn't have the team until Wednesday because they came back day by day from the national team so we train much more with the academy players, but Hugo is fit and well, so we have to take a decision with the keeper.
How come you decided to stay on?
I spoke with Antonio and Antonio and the club spoke to each other. They made the decision together and they let me know. I was aware of this during this time and they called me. And they said the decision is taken and if you agree with us you can do it. I had no problem to say yes and because everyone agreed it was a mutual decision. When they called me they said if You can agree we can do it and we all agree on it with Antonio.
Would you like to be manager now?
It is the next step to work hard for the next 10 games. This is what I'm focused on, and nothing has to change in my mind. I'm not here for vanity - I'm here tod o my job.
How do you make it your team?
I have to be myself. Like I said when I was in charge with Antonio in the time when he had the surgery. I use myself, my character and behaviour to manage the team. We will see what happens during the process. We have not had many days to work with the team. We only started this morning to have the whole team together. We had a good session in training and we prepare the next game following what we did in the past but also in the past I have to be honest, and we prepared some changes tactically so we can do it. We are following what we did.
What are your aims for this season?
Nothing changes, in my opinion. Nothing has to change. I know very well the players and we had many opportunities to know each other. To know and to speak many times. I feel that I'm here because of this. We were tight, we were together. We used to stick together in the past and we have to do it again. Only this.
What are you expecting from Sean Dyche's Everton?
Since when Sean Dyche became the new manager, they change a lot the results and the type of approach in the game. We know we faced Sean Dyche with Burnley last season two times and we know very well it will be tough. They play a style of football we have to be aware to face on Monday. We know we have a good squad, a big squad, good team. Players that can do the best and they can try to win the game.
Did Antonio talk to you about what he was going to say in that press conference?
Antonio said what he felt in that moment and of course we were not happy at the end of the game in Southampton because we won 3-1 and we thought we could reach that result until the end of the game, but the game changed. The power of Southampton increased and we concede two goals and we draw the match... all the team was unhappy in that moment, Antonio as well. Obviously we spoke but Antonio said everything and what he felt in that moment. Now it's another momentum, and I don't want to discuss what Antonio felt in that moment because I think all the team felt disappointment in that moment.
Do you see this as an audition for getting the job?
I don't want to think about this, I’m very very focused like we said to the players that in the next 10 matches, it's not important what I think, it's only important playing the next match and working on that and that is it, absolutely nothing else.
Are you changing the style of play because the fans have been unhappy about it?
I have to disagree on that because if you think that we draw in Southampton and some results in the last month was not good obviously the fans were not happy and that is normal but we can not say this about all the season because there are many matches where the fans enjoyed a lot and there were with us and it’s important that we bring the fans with us.
In these types of moments we need to bring the fans with us and they have to be with us because we are the club and they are the club and they are an important part of the club and we expect that the fans support the team.
Are the players all together ?
This is only speculation and not reality. This is what I feel and you said about Richarlison but this is only speculation because I know very well that sometimes the media need to have gossip news but I’m not here to play this game. I’m here to say this is speculation and I want to say to the fans you don't have to follow speculations and gossips, the reality is the pitch for us.
You've got a lot of wing-back injuries, will you have to change the formation?
We have some injuries and we have to be careful with the decisions and I mentioned before that we prepared some changes in the past and we were working on that and we want to continue working on that, not only in one way but sometimes to change some details in the game.
Thinking of the opponent we have to face and we want to continue on that, we need all the players ready to play that game and at this particular moment we don't have many wing-backs ready to play so we have to be aware of that and not make a wrong decision.
Is Ivan Perisic fit, we saw him coming off for Croatia with an injury?
Perisic is fit and well and he trained today. It was only a kick he had with the national team. He trained this morning with us.
When people look back on these 10 games with you in charge, what do you want them to say was the Cristian Stellini Tottenham Hotspur?
I would like to have the same atmosphere we had when we played in the games at home against Chelsea, West Ham, Man City, this is the type of game we want to play. It doesn't matter if I mentioned two derbies and one important game against City, it shouldn't matter who the opponent is.
Our approach and our behaviour is important. This is my expectation and this is what I spoke to the players about. We have to show the desire we showed in that moment. I want to see players that move into the pitch with an idea and attack the space with desire.
When you heard the Conte press conference, to what extent did you agree with him about players lacking desire?
I repeat, he said what he felt in that moment and it is not important if I agree or not. I am here. There is a line between what I did in the past as an assistant and what I do in this moment.
Now I focus on this moment and it is not important what happened. I have to think about the past I miss something important for the future. I don't want to miss anything from the future. I draw the line in the moment they call me and say now you are head coach. This is only what Antonio said in that moment and how he felt.
Do you see the right attitude now?
Now? Yes, I see the right attitude, I see we are compact. I see the players they stick together with me and all the staff. We don't forget that we are here but I have with me Ryan Mason and all the staff.
Can we get a full injury update?
The players who are unavailable are players like Emerson, who had surgery, Bissouma is not ready to play, Bentancur obviously not for the season able to play. We have Richarlison with problem, he's not training with team. Ben Davies and Sessegnon are pushing to recover, they are not ready but pushing to recover as soon as possible.
How was Antonio when you had that first conversation when he was leaving and you were taking the job?
I spoke with Antonio in that moment and I spoke to Antonio after. It's like in this type of situation, obviously he lived his life in the job with passion. He showed passion in every moment. He's passionate and he's Antonio. For me it's easy to also say he was lucid in the decision because the decision was taken between him and the club. It was a mutual agreement and they needed to find the right solution and they took the decision.
Before you were joint management when he away away and you could go to him for advice, you presumably can't do that any more?
No. Obviously no, this not the time that I have to get advice. This is the time to use what I have learned from Antonio. It's very important. We worked with each other for a long time together and I learned a lot from him and I have to bring this with me. For this I have to say thank you to him.
How important are the leaders in Tottenham's team now? Have they spoken to the group?
We met this morning with all the team. We spoke all together. The players are in the dressing room altogether they can speak but it was important to speak together because everyone needed clarification and I needed to clarify all the situation that happened in the last week. We were in contact during that week and the players were away with their national team and focused on their match but obviously also on what happened here. Now we have met, we spoke and we clarified everything. I felt the players are ready to be together and to fight together like a proper team.
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